Din$wr  t'KBOtOGlCAI,  Sltmi^AWV  Ln* A»V. 


MEXICO 

Next-Doior 
Nei^Kbor*' 


The  MEXICO  MISSION 


METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 


r\% 


REV.  FRANCIS  S.  BORTON,  D.D. 


MEXICO 

“OUR  NEXT-DOOR  NEIGHBOR” 


BY 

REV.  FRANCIS  S.  BORTON,  D.D. 


THE  MISSIONARY  SOCIETY 
OF  THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

RINDGE  LITERATURE  DEPARTMENT 
150  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York 


PRICE,  TEN  CENTS 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


https://archive.org/details/mexicoournextdooOObort 


INTRODUCTION 


EXICO,  the  Old  ^^^orld  of  the  New  World, 
although  just  across  the  street  from  the 
southwestern  dooryard  of  the  United  States, 
is  less  known  to  the  American  people  than 
are  most  of  the  countries  of  Europe.  Many 
of  the  touri.sts  who  visit  Mexico  in  increas¬ 
ing  numbers  betray  an  anmsing  and,  at  times,  a  lamentable 
ignorance  of  the  geography,  climate,  history,  conditions,  and 
cvistoms  of  the  country.  Also  many  people  in  our  Church  who 
are  interested  in  the  missionary  work  in  Mexico  have  but  vague 
ideas  with  regard  to  this  most  ancient  Aztec  land;  to  them  it  is 
but  a  name  and  a  place  on  tlie  map. 

Although  our  visiting  bishops  do  what  they  can  to  tell  the 
Church  about  the  conditions  that  prevail  here  when  they  re¬ 
turn  to  the  ITnited  States,  their  sermons,  lectures,  and  mission¬ 
ary  addresses  reach  the  ears  of  but  a  comparatively  small 
number  of  Methodists.  So  there  seems  to  be  a  real  need  for 
condensed  and  handy  information  on  this  subject — a  luind- 
book  that  may  answer  a  few  of  the  many  questions  that  arise 
with  regard  to  the  great  and  growing  republic,  “Our  Next- 
Door  Neighbor.” 

In  response  to  the  request  of  Dr.  A.  B.  Leonard,  Correspond¬ 
ing  Secretary  of  the  Missionary  Society,  the  following  pages 
have  been  prepared  in  the  hope  that  tliey  may  be  of  real  service 
in  imparting  information  about  Mexico  and  in  stimulating,  on 
the  part  of  the  Church  at  home,  an  intelligent  and  hel]rfiil 
interest  in  the  great  task  of  spreading  the  light  and  joy  of  the 
Gospel  of  the  Son  of  God  tliroughout  this  oldest  region  of  the 
New  World. 

For  those  who  would  like  to  read  something  on  the  vast 

sul)ject  of  INIexican  hi.story  a  short  list  of  authorities  is  given 

at  the  end  of  tliis  booklet.  ^  ^ 

F.  S.  BORTON. 


Puel)la,  Mexico. 


3 


COURT  OF  THE  GIIiES’  SCHOOL,  FUEBLA 


MEXICO 

“  OUR  NEXT-  DOOR  NEIGHBOR  ” 


GEOGRAPHY 

EXICO  is  bounded  on  tlio  north  Ijy  the  United 
States  and  tlie  Gulf  of  Mexico,  on  the  east  I)y  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico,  the  Caribbean  Sea,  and  British 
Honduras,  on  the  south  and  west  by  Guatemala 
and  the  Pacific  Ocean.  It  extends  through  18° 
of  latitude,  between  the  parallels  of  15°  and 
33°  north,  and  through  30°  of  longitude,  between  the  meridians  of 
87°  and  117°  west.  Including  i.slands,  the  country  has  an  area 
of  767,000  square  miles.  The  Tropic  of  Cancer  passes  through 
Area  Mexico  nearly  midway  between  its  northern  and  southern 
boundaries,  the  southern  half  of  the  country  therefore  being 
within  the  tropics. 

The  boundary  between  Mexico  and  the  ITnited  States  is 
about  1,200  miles  in  length,  the  northern  extremity  of  the  coun¬ 
try  being  its  widest  portion.  The  Isthmus  of  Tehuantepec,  a 
little  more  than  100  miles  across,  is  the  narrowest  part. 
Coast  Line  Mexico  has  1,727  miles  of  coast  line  on  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico  and  the  Caribbean  Sea  and  4,574  miles  on  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  In  form  IMexico  resembles  a  cornucopia,  with 
its  narrow  end  tapering  toward  the  southeast. 

CLIMATE 

Three  zones  of  climate  are  distinctly  marked.  The  tierra 
caliente,  or  hot  land,  lies  along  the  low  maritime  zone  of 
the  Gulf  and  the  Pacific,  and  includes  swampy  and  sandy  coast 


lands  and  well-watered  plains  and  slopes  leading  up  to  the  moun¬ 
tains.  The  growth  of  luxuriant  tropical  vegetation  is  promoted  by 
a  mean  annual  temperature  of  77°  to  82°  Fahr.,  the  mer- 
The  Tropics  cury  seldom  falling  below  60°,  but  often  rising  to  100°, 
and  at  Vera  Cruz  and  Acapulco  to  104°.  Some  places, 
as  the  port  of  La  Paz,  are  among  the  hottest  in  the  world.  The 
seacoasts  are  unhealthful,  fevers 
prevail,  and  in  some  localities 
yellow  fever  and  black  vomit 
are  endemic. 

Above  the  Gulf  and  Pacific 
hot  zones  are  the  tierras  tem- 
pladas, or  temperate  lands, 

Temperate  from  3,000  to  6,000  feet 
Zone  al)ove  the  sea,  embracing 

the  higher  terraces  and 
parts  of  the  central  plateau. 

The  temperate  lands  rise  to  a  higher  elevation  in  the  southern  than 
in  the  northern  States.  The  mean  temperature  is  from  62°  to  70° 
Fahr.,  and  does  not  vary  more  than  4°  to  5°  during  the  year. 

Thus  extremes  of  heat  and  cold  are  unknown  ;  semitropical 


THE  FAMOUS  PKEIIISTOKIC  PYRAMID  OF  CIIOLUEA 


products,  like  those  of  southwestern  Europe,  are  abundant,  and 
to  some  extent,  also,  products  both  of  the  tropical  and  cold 
regions.  Around  the  city  of  Oaxaca  wheat  and  sugar  cane  may 
be  seen  growing  on  the  same  piece  of  ground. 

6 


Al-jove  the  temperate  lauds  are  the  tierras  frias,  or  cold  lands, 
7,000  feet  or  more  above  the  sea  level,  with  a  mean  temperature 
of  from  59°  to  63°  Fahr.  Most  of  the  great  central  pla- 
Cold  Zone  teau,  with  its  girdle  of  mountains,  is  included  in  this 
region,  but  in  the  deeper  valleys  a  warmer  temperature 
and  tropical  products  are  found.  It  is  literally  true  that  you 
can  ride  down  into  a  valley  in  an  hour  or  two  and  be  in  the 
midst  of  a  tropical  vegetation.  The  lower  levels  of  these  cold 
lands  are  the  most  thickly  inhabited  regions  in  Mexico,  all  the 
largest  cities,  with  the  exception  of  Vera  Cruz,  being  found  in 
this  zone. 

The  rainy  season,  the  most  healthful  and  delightful  period 
of  the  year  in  Mexico,  lasts  from  about  the  middle  of  May  to 
October.  In  the  winter,  or  dry  season,  little  or  no  rain  falls. 
The  city  of  Mexico  has  an  average  rainfall  of  thirty  inches  a 
year 


MINERAL  WEALTH 

Mexico  is  one  of  the  richest  mining  countries  in  the  world. 
Excepting  Sinaloa  and  Sonora,  which  contain  vast  stores  of 
the  precious  metals,  nearly  all  the  historic  mines  lie  on  the 
Mines  south-central  plateau,  at  elevations  of  from  5,500  to  9,500 
feet.  A  line  drawn  from  the  city  of  Mexico  to  Guanajuato, 
thence  north  to  Chihualiua  and  south  to  Oaxaca,  incloses  a 
silver-yielding  zone  that  is  unsurpassed  in  richness.  The  cen¬ 
tral  group  of  mines  in  the  districts  of  Guanajuato,  Zacatecas, 
and  Catorce,  in  the  States  of  Guanajuato,  Zacatecas,  and  San 
Luis  Potosi,  liave  thus  far  yielded  over  half  the  silver  mined 
in  Mexico.  The  “mother  vein”  of  Guanajuato  alone  produced 
$252,000,000  between  1556  and  1803.  In  some  places  copper 
is  found  in  a  pure  state.  Iron  in  vast  abundance  occurs  in 
Michoacan,  Jalisco,  and  Durango,  but  until  coal  has  been 
found  in  paying  cpiantities  there  is  little  prospect  that  iron 
mining  will  become  very  important.  The  famous  Cerro  del 
Mercado,  or  “Hill  of  tlie  Market  Place,”  in  Durango,  discov¬ 
ered  in  1562,  is  a  hill  of  magnetic  iron  ore,  4,800  feet  long, 
1,100  feet  in  wddtli,  and  640  feet  high,  averaging  a!)out  70  per 
cent  of  metal,  and  estimated  to  contain  over  300,000,000  tons 

7 


of  ore  above  the  plain,  beneath  which  it  may  extend  to  a 
great  depth. 

Fuel  is  one  of  the  most  pressing  needs  of  Mexico.  Fire¬ 
wood  costs  in  the  city  of  Mexico  $14  a  cord.  Coal  ranges  from 
$16  to  $22  a  ton  and  is  brought  from  England  and  the  United 


ENTRANCE  TO  “  HALL  OE  MONOEITIIS,’'  RUINS  OF  MITLA,  OAXACA 

States.  The  cooking  in  Mexico  is  all  done  by  means  of  char¬ 
coal  used  in  /iro.sero.s.  Stoves  are  unknown  outside  of  the  for¬ 
eign  colonies  in  the  larger  cities.  Tliere  are  no  chimneys 
Fuel  nor  fireplaces.  AVhen  people  are  cold  they  put  on  extra 
wraps,  if  they  have  tliem,  or  else  “grin  and  bear  it”  until 
tlie  sun  comes  out. 

There  are  three  government  mints.  The  total  coinage  of 
Mexican  silver  from  the  time  of  its  discovery  by  tlie  Spaniards 
to  1895  amounted  to  $3,398,664,400,  whicli  is  more  than 
Mints  one  third  of  the  world’s  production  of  sih'cr  from  1493 
to  1895.  As  a  large  amount  of  silver  is  not  coined,  but  is 
used  in  the  arts,  it  is  estimated  tliat  INIexico  luis  produced 
nearly  one  half  of  the  world’s  silver  mined  in  the  past  four 
centuries. 


S 


POPULATION 


It  is  difficult  to  take  a  direct  census  in  Mexico,  particularly 
in  the  many  districts  inhabited  by  Indians,  who  fear  that  they 
will  be  taxed  if  they  are  enrolled  in  the  census  return. 
Census  In  1900  the  population  included  6,716,007  males  and 
Returns  6,829,455  females.  Nineteen  per  cent  of  the  population 
were  pure  white,  43  per  cent  mixed  bloods,  and  38  per 
cent  Indians.  The  cold  lands,  l^eing  the  most  healthful,  have 


A  I’LEASIXG  TYPE  OF  THE  POOKEU  CLASS 


the  dense.st  population,  or  alwut  75  per  cent  of  the  total 
population. 

A  relatively  small  part  of  the  people,  from  15  to  IS  per  cent, 
live  in  the  temperate  zone,  and  only  7  to  10  per  cent  in  the  torrid 


zone.  The  first  census,  in  1795,  showed  a  population  of  5,200,000. 
The  population  therefore  much  more  than  douliled  in  the  past 
century.  The  per  cent  of  increase  from  immigration  is  very 
small,  and  not  to  be  considered.  Of  the  foreign  elements  of 
the  population  the  English,  Germans,  Spaniards,  and  French 
monopolize  many  branches  of  business.  The  country  is  to 
some  extent  being  Americanized 
as  far  as  means  of  transportation, 
electric  lighting,  improved  hotels, 
and  other  modern  conveniences 
are  concerned.  The  tendency  of 
the  people,  how'ever,  is  to  cling  to 
the  old  habits  which  grew  out  of 
their  Spanish  ancestry  and  climatic 
environment.  They  still  desire 
their  midday  siesta,  their  many 
religious  feast  days  and  holi¬ 
days,  but  they  are  unwilling  to 
live  abstemiously,  spending  their 
money  freely  and  dressing  j^oorly. 

This  is  especially  true  of  the  In¬ 
dians.  The  low  rate  of  wages 
Wages  is  an  obstacle  to  large  immi¬ 
gration,  field  hands  receiving 
from  25  to  37  cents  a  day  in  Mexi¬ 
can  silver,  and  laborers  in  the 
cities,  carpenters,  masons,  black¬ 
smiths,  etc.,  not  averaging  more 
than  75  cents  a  day.  Other  diffi¬ 
culties  are  that  a  large  portion  of 
the  public  lands  have  already 
been  disposed  of  ;  comparatively 
little  of  the  land,  either  public  or  private,  has  yet  been  ade¬ 
quately  surveyed,  and  therefore  cannot  easily  be  obtained  in 
small  lots,  and  the  large  landholders  are  unwilling  to  divide 
their  estates,  which  are  still  governed  and  tilled  by  an  almost 
feudal  system.  On  every  great  hacienda  is  the  castle  of  the 
proprietor,  and  huddling  about  the  lofty  and  massive  walls, 

10 


A  BASKET  CAKRIER 


pierced  with  loopholes,  are  the  huts  of  the  peons,  or  retainers, 
actually  almost  serfs,  who  are  born  and  die  on  the  estate,  anil 
are  nearly  as  much  a  part  of  it  as  were  the  slaves  on  the  old 
plantations  in  the  South  “before  the  war.” 

EDUCATION  OF  THE  PEOPLE 

In  nearly  all  the  States  education  is  free  and  compulsory, 
but  the  law  is  not  strictly  enforced;  illiteracy  is  very  prevalent, 
and  but  little  has  been  done  to  educate  the  Indians.  In  1899 
the  common  schools  supported  by  the  federal  and  State  govern¬ 
ments  numbered  6,376;  by  the  municipalities,  2,989;  the 
teachers  in  both,  15.505;  enrolled  pupils,  684,563;  average 
attendance,  474,622;  cost  of  schools,  86,805,074  (Mexican  sil¬ 
ver).  The  private  and  clerical  schools  numbered  2,560;  en¬ 
rolled  pupils,  134,987.  The  federal  government  supports 
special  schools  for  engineering,  law,  medicine,  mining,  agricul¬ 
ture,  etc. 

The  National  Library,  housed  in  what  was  once  one  of  the 
finest  churches  and  convents  in  Dlexico  City,  contains  over 
205,000  volumns.  There  are  138  other  public  libraries. 
Libraries  33  museums  for  scientific  and  educational  purposes,  11 
meteorological  observatories,  and  702  newspapers,  includ¬ 
ing  11  in  English  and  11  in  Spanish  and  English.  Puebla,  with 
a  population  of  almost  100,000,  has  no  daily  paper,  but  de¬ 
pends  on  the  papers  printed  in  Mexico  City  for  her  news  of  the 
day.  The  paper  with  the  largest  circulation  is  FA  Imparcial, 
with  a  daily  issue  of  from  70,000  to  74,000.  Mexico  owes 
what  she  is  to-day,  from  an  educational  point  of  view,  to 
the  efforts  made  by  President  Diaz  during  the  past  twenty- 
five  years.  He  is  still  doing  all  that  he  can  to  uplift  and  edu¬ 
cate  his  people.  To  judge  correctly  of  the  progress  made  by 
Mexico  upward  toward  the  light  we  must  not  compare  her  with 
the  United  States,  but  compare  her  with  herself  as  she  was 
in  the  sad  and  hopeless  years  of  tyranny  and  civil  war  in  the 
days  gone  by. 


11 


THE  PEOPLES  OF  MEXICO 


The  population  of  Mexico  at  the  present  day  is  largely  Indian, 
and  in  many  parts  of  the  country  ancient  customs,  superstitions, 
and  languages  hold  sway.  There  are  probably  more  than 
Dialects  four  millions  of  pure  blooded  Indians  and  a  somewhat 
larger  proportion  of  mestizos,  or  people  of  mixed  blood. 
Dr.  Nicolas  Leon,  a  personal  friend  of  the  writer,  and  the 
most  recent  and  accurate  student  of  the  linguistic  families  of 
Mexico,  has  divided  them  into  17  families  and  180  dialects,  and 
is  of  the  opinion  that  future  studies  and  investigations  tvill  re¬ 
solve  this  number  of  families  to  three  mother  tongues,  which 


A  UltOl  P  OF  WOMKN  AND  CllILDKEN  IN  THE  STATE  OF  GUEKKEKO 

will  be  the  Otomi,  Maya-Quiche,  and  the  Nahua.  In  many 
parts  of  the  republic  where  certain  languages  are  spoken  over 
extended  areas  we  find  dialectical  differences  in  every  village. 
In  some  parts  of  Mexico  the  tribes  occur  in  masses,  while  in 
other  parts  people  speaking  different  languages  are  strangely 
intermingled.  In  the  same  town,  separated  by  a  single  street, 
we  may  find  two  different  languages  spoken,  while  in  one  town 
Starr  reports  Aztecs,  Otomi,  Tepehuas,  and  Totonacs,  each  group 
preserving  its  independence  in  language,  dress,  customs,  and  super¬ 
stitions,  and  occupying  its  own  distinct  cpiarter  in  the  town. 

12 


Most  of  the  Mexican  Indians  have  l^een  superficially  con¬ 
verted  to  the  II Oman  Catholic  form  of  Christianity;  many  are 
still  idolaters,  although  they  have  lost  much  of  their 
Idolatry  and  knowledge  of  ancient  traditions  and  religion.  They 
Superstition  are  excessively  superstitious  and  believe  in  omens, 
witchcraft,  and  divination.  Among  the  Huicholes, 
whose  habits,  customs,  religion,  and  symbolism  have  been  ex¬ 
haustively  studied  by  Carl  Lumholtz,  and  the  Mijes,  who  have 
been  briefly  investigated  by  Starr  and  Belmar.  we  find  greater 


GKINDING  COKN  TO  M.4.KE  “  TORTILLAS  ” 

adherence  to  primitive  ideas  than  among  any  other  Mexican 
people. 

All  over  Mexico  the  commerce  of  the  people  is  carried  on  in 
very  much  the  same  manner  as  before  the  Spanish  conquest, 
and  their  periodic  markets,  the  tianguis,  are  held  weekly,  as 
in  former  times;  they  also  carry  merchandise  for  long  distances 

13 


to  attend  annual  festivals  of  certain  miracle-working  saints, 
whose  modern  shrines  are  built  on  the  sites  of  ancient  pagan  tem¬ 
ples.  The  Indians  are  principally  agriculturists,  though 
Commerce  certain  aboriginal  trades  still  prevail,  such  as  weaving, 
basket  and  mat  making,  and  the  manufacture  of  pot¬ 
tery  ;  and  the  products  of  these  industries,  for  which  certain 
villages  are  noted  (as  Guadalajara  for  its  pottery),  are  scattered 
throughout  extended  areas  Their  mode  of  living,  habitations, 
and  clothing  have  changed  but  little  under  Spanish  rule.  Their 
food  consists  mainly  of  corn,  beans,  and  chili  peppers;  the 
corn  is  made  into  thin  cakes,  or  tortillas,  or  else  a  sort  of  mush 
called  atole;  their  food  is  prepared  as  before  the  con- 
Food  quest,  and  nearly  all  their  cooking  utensils  are  made  of 
clay.  Their  great  vice  is  drunkenness  ;  they  make  many 
kinds  of  native  drinks  as  in  former  times,  and  take  advan¬ 
tage  of  all  feast  days  to  indulge  to  excess.  The  Indians  are 
indu.strious,  peaceable,  and  courteous.  Protestantism  has  made 
considerable  progress  among  tliem,  especially  in  the  mountain 
regions  and  country  districts. 


MEXICO’S  HISTORY 

The  Aztec,  or  Nahuatl,  tribes  whom  tlie  Spanish  conquerors 
found  in  the  central  valley  of  Mexico  had  been  preceded  by  at 
least  two  other  races  in  that  region.  From  the 
Early  History  hopelessly  confused  legendary  accounts  of  events  in 
prehistoric  Mexico  it  is  possible  to  make  out  only  a 
rough  outline  of  what  probably  happened. 

The  Toltecs  were  said  to  trace  their  history  back  to  the  year 
720  of  the  Christian  era,  when  they  began  a  long  course  of 
wanderings  which  finally  led  them,  about  the  year  970,  into  the 
valley  of  Mexico,  There  they  erected  vast  cities,  whose  ruins, 
at  Tulantzinco  and  at  Tula,  or  Tallon,  some  fifty  miles  north  and 
northeast  of  the  present  city  of  Mexico,  ju.stify  the  name  of 
‘  ‘  the  builders,”  given  them  by  their  successors.  In  the  year 
1103  the  Toltec  power  was  overthrown,  and  they  were  eventually 
driven  from  the  country,  going  off  toward  the  south,  where 
they  are  supposed  to  have  erected  some  at  least  of  the  immense 

14 


buildings  now  in  ruins  in  Yucatan,  Honduras,  and  Guatemala 
Their  conquerors,  the  Chichimecas,  first  appeared  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  two  great  volcanoes  Popocatepetl  and  Ixtaccihuatl, 
where  the  ruins  of  Amecameca  show  the  center  of  their  power. 
The  Chichimecan  legends  carry  their  history  back  for  1,796  years 
before  the  Christian  era. 

After  they  succeeded  the  Toltecs  as  the  dominant  power 
the  Chicliimecas  settled  at  Texcoco,  on  the  ea.st  side  of  the  lake 


MEXICAN  CURL  FROM  YUCATAN 

of  that  name,  wliere  they  were  living  in  a  flourishing  condition 
when,  early  in  the  twelfth  century  A.  1).,  seven  allied  Xahuallaca 
families  or  tribes  entered  the  vallev  from  the  north,  having 
started  on  their  wanderings,  cjuite  possibly,  in  the  cliff-dweller 
region  of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona. 

15 


One  of  these  tribes,  unable  to  win  a  home  elsewhere  from  the 
powerful  Chichimecas,  settled  upon  some  marshy  islets  in  the 
lake  of  Texcoco.  The  year  1325  is  given,  with  some 
A  Sign  from  signs  of  probability,  as  that  in  which  these  Nahuatl 
the  Gods  Aztecs  fixed  upon  this  location,  which  is  said  to  have 
been  pointed  out  to  them  by  a  sign  from  their  gods, 
an  eagle  perched  upon  a  prickly-pear  cactus,  the  7iopal,  stran¬ 
gling  a  serpent.  This  sign  is  now  the  national  seal  of  Mexico, 
and  is  seen  on  all  the  coins  of  the  country. 

For  over  a  century  the  settlement  made  in  the  marshes  grew 
in  power  and  territory,  until  by  the  year  1437  the  Aztec  nation 
was  known  and  feared  far  and  near,  and  a  great  city  had  come  to 
be  the  center  of  their  kingdom.  In  the  year  just  mentioned 
Motecuhzoma,  or  Montezuma  the  First  (Wrathy  Chief),  came 
to  the  throne.  He  was  perhaps  the  first  chief  to  combine  the 
functions  of  warrior  and  priest,  and  prepared  for  the  down¬ 
fall  of  the  tribal  power  by  allowing  the  latter  to  interfere  with 
the  former.  His  successors  considerably  extended  the  influ¬ 
ence  of  the  Aztecs  by  conquering  the  tribes  beyond  the  mountains 
to  the  two  seas  on  the  east  and  west  and  as  far  as  Guatemala  to 
the  south,  and  forcing  them  to  pay  tribute  of  slaves  for  the 
horrid  sacrificial  rites  which  were  becoming  the  established  and 
popular  religious  practice  of  the  nation.  (For  particulars  with 
regard  to  these  sacrifices  see  Prescott’s  Conquest  of  Mexico.) 

In  1.502  the  second  and  most  ill-fated  Montezuma  was  elected 
to  the  chief  position  of  the  tribe.  In  the  years  1519-21  the  con¬ 
quest  of  Mexico  by  the  Spaniards  was  effected,  in  which 
Montezuma  after  a  most  heroic  resi.stance  the  city  of  Mexico  was 
almost  completely  demolished  and  the  ruins  flung  into 
the  numerous  canals;  hundreds  of  thousands  of  lives  were  lost, 
and  what  had  been  once  the  beautiful  city  of  Tenochtitlan  be¬ 
came  a  smoking  heap  of  ruins  soaked  with  blood  and  covered 
with  corpses.  After  the  taking  of  the  city  Cortes  promptly  set 
to  work  rebuilding  it.  The  dead  bodies  were  burned  and  the 
city  roughly  cleansed,  the  canals  filled  up,  streets,  market  places, 
and  the  sites  for  a  church,  fort,  official  residence,  an,d  of  her 
necessary  buildings  located. 

There  were  many  rapid  changes  in  the  form  and  personnel  of 

IG 


the  government  of  Mexico,  or  New  Spain,  as  it  was  officially 
called,  from  the  days  of  Cortes,  the  first  governor,  down  to  the 
year  1535,  A\hen  the  first  viceroy,  Antonio  de  Mendoza, 
New  Spain  came  from  Spain.  The  University  of  Mexico  was  founded 
in  1553,  under  Viceroy  Velasco,  and  the  mineral  and 
other  sources  of  wealth  developed.  Few  acts  or  episodes  of 
general  interest  mark  the  reigns  of  the  succeeding  viceregal 
rulers  of  Mexico.  The  capital  grew,  was  periodically  flooded 
by  the  overflowing  lakes,  and  plans  were  as  regularly  made  for 
its  draining,  but  the  drainage  has  only  been  effected  finally  and 
satisfactorily  during  very  I'ecent  years,  under  the  direction  of 
President  Diaz.  The  drainage  works  of  the  valley  of  Mexico 
are  to-day  among  the  greatest  feats  of  engineering  of  the  mod¬ 
ern  world.  The  black  and  bloody  Inquisition  was 
The  Inquisition  introduced  into  Mexico  in  1571,  and  the  terrific 
autos-da-fe  claimed  their  victims  down  to  the  year 
1821,  when  the  hellish  tribunal  was  forever  done  away  with. 
But  ah,  what  a  history  of  crime,  cruelty,  and  devilishness  is 
associated  with  the  three  hundred  and  fifty  years  of  the  Inqui¬ 
sition  in  this  land!  In  1789  Count  Bevillagigedo  began  the 
rebuilding  of  the  capital.  One  result  of  these  works  was  the 
finding  of  the  famous  Aztec  Calendar  Stone  and  the  so-called 
Sacrificial  Stone,  which  had  been  buried  at  the  time  of  the  con- 
cjuest.  They  are  to-day  in  the  national  museum. 

The  gradual  increase  of  education  among  all  classes,  the  spread 
of  revolutionary  and  independent  ideas  all  over  the  world, 
beginning  in  the  revolt  of  the  New  England  colonies,  a  succes¬ 
sion  of  viceroys  who  responded  to  the  pressure  from  Spain  by 
draining  the  American  colonies  of  every  possible  ingot  and  coin, 
and  finally  the  addition  of  Spain  to  the  appanages  of  Napoleon 
were”all  potent  factors  in  causing  the  growth  of  ideas  of  inde¬ 
pendence  for  Mexico. 


THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  INDEPENDENCE 

Various  groups  had  been  formed  for  the  discussion  of  revolu¬ 
tionary  plans,  and  some  of  the  advocates  of  independence  had 
been  imprisoned  and  killed  before  the  fateful  16th  of  Septem- 

17 


her,  1810,  when  the  parish  priest  at  Dolores,  near  Guanajuato, 
Miguel  Hidalgo,  upon  suddenly  learning  that  some  of  his  fellow- 
conspirators  had  ijeen  arrested,  rang  his  church  bell  and 
Hidalgo  called  upon  his  people  to  follow  him  and  free  Mexico  from 
foreign  tyranny.  His  Grito  de  Dolores,  the  cry  of  “Long 
live  religion,  long  live  America,  and  death  to  bad  government!” 


MIGUEL  HIDALGO,  THE  WASHINGTON  OF  MEXICO 

marked  the  beginning  of  the  struggle  for  Mexican  independence. 
Hidalgo  was  at  that  time  in  his  fifty-eighth  year,  witli  a  strong 
and  soldier-like  body  and  venerable  looking  white  locks.  He 
is  the  one  instance  in  modern  hi.storv  of  a  comparatively  old 

18 


man  inaugurating  a  great  national  movement  for  the  gaining 
of  political  freedom.  His  eloquence  had  a  powerful  effect  on 
the  people,  and  to  heighten  the  enthusiasm  he  carried  aloft  the 
banner  of  our  Lady  of  (luadalupe,  patron  saint  of  Mexico,  and 
gave  to  his  uprising  the  character  of  a  crusade.  He  took  the 
cities  of  Guanajuato  and  Guadalajara  after  a  fearful  slaughter, 
and  with  an  army  of  50,000  men  marched  on  ^Mexico,  defeating 
on  the  way  several  l)odies  of  troops  sent  to  oppose  him.  But 
the  all-powerful  Church  and  Inquisition  had  launched  against 
him  and  all  his  friends  and  followers  the  dreaded  decree  of  ex- 
communication,  and  owing  to  this  and  the  discord  prevailing 
among  his  lieutenants  his  forces  melted  away,  and  he  was  forced 
to  retreat.  He  succeeded,  liowever,  in  reuniting  his  men  to 
meet  the  army  sent  against  him  l)y  the  viceroy,  but  his  dis¬ 
orderly  mob  of  100,000  men  was  pitilessly  crushed  by  the  onset 
of  6,000  Spanish  veterans,  January  17,  1811.  Hidalgo  fled 
and  set  out  for  the  United  States  to  procure  assistance,  but  was 
captured,  degraded  from  his  priestly  office,  shot  and  deca])itated, 
and  his  head  exposed  in  an  iron  cage  hung  from  the  wall  of  the 
great  government  edifice  in  Guanajuato  that  he  had  stormed 
and  taken  the  year  Imfore. 

As  the  years  go  by  his  honor  grows  among  the  Mexican  people, 
and  he  means  even  more  to  them  than  IVashington  does  to  the 
people  of  the  United  States.  Each  year  on  the  night 
Other  Patriots  of  September  15,  at  11  o’clock,  the  President  of  the 
republic  steps  to  the  lialcony  of  the  government 
palace  in  Mexico  City,  rings  the  old  liberty  bell  that  is  hanging 
there  now,  and  repeats  the  famous  cry  of  Hidalgo,  ‘  ‘  Long  live 
Mexico  !  Long  live  independence  !  ”  The  Avaiting  croAvd  of 
50,000  l)eloAV  takes  up  the  cry,  the  l)ands  and  church  Irells  all 
peal  out  at  once,  and  together  it  forms  a  scene  to  stir  the  Iffood 
and  aAA'aken  the  patriotism  of  the  most  sluggish.  After  Hidalgo’s 
death  there  Avere  others  ready  to  take  up  his  unfinished  Avork, 
among  aa’Iioiu  the  names  of  Morelos,  Guerrero,  BraA'o,  and  Mina 
stand  out  conspicuously.  In  1S21  a  plan  was  arranged  Ijy  AA'hich 
Iturbide  l)ecame  the  first  independent  ruler  of  Mexico.  Con¬ 
gress  ratified  his  choice  of  himself  as  emperor  May  19,  1822. 
He  was  croAvned  amid  great  pomp  and  splendor,  but  it  was 

10 


taken  as  a  sign  of  ill  omen  that  the  crown  trembled  and  almost 
fell  from  his  head  when  he  received  it  And  in  less  than  two 
years  from  that  date,  after  having  been  deposed  and  exiled,  he 
was  shot  upon  returning  to  Mexico.  But,  nevertheless,  between 
the  years  1810  and  1822  the  political  independence  of  Mexico 
had  been  achieved  and  the  power  of  the  Inquisition  forever  shat¬ 
tered.  The  last  victim  of  the  dread  tribunal  in  Mexico  was  the 
patriot-priest  Morelos,  ‘  ‘  the  hero  of  a  hundred  bat- 
A  Patriot  Priest  ties,”  who  was  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  the 
Church  and  shot  in  December,  1815.  Let  us  not  lose 
sight  of  the  fact  that  the  great  task  set  before  Hidalgo  and  his 
followers  was  that  of  bursting  the  political  bands  that  bound 
Mexico  to  the  throne  of  Spain.  The  more  dreadful  and  diffi¬ 
cult  and  crushing  task  of  bursting  the  bands  of  religious  tyranny 
and  despotism  that  fettered  Mexico  to  the  throne  of  the  Vatican 
in  Rome  fell  to  the  lot  of  the  immortal  Benito  Juarez,  of  whom 
we  shall  speak  later  on.  From  1823  until  1875  chaos  reigned, 
and  one  revolution  succeeded  another  in  gloomy  and  awful 
regularity.  In  this  period  also  came  the  war  with  Texas  (1836) 
and  the  war  with  the  United  States  (1846-48).  During  the 
period  1810-75  there  were  over  200  different  uprisings,  insur¬ 
rections,  rebellions,  and  seditions!  During  the  two  years’  war 
with  the  United  States  there  were  twelve  changes  in  the  chief 
executive  of  Mexico,  a  fact  which  helps  to  explain  the  inability 
of  the  Mexicans,  in  spite  of  their  admirable  fighting  qualities, 
to  prevent  the  advance  of  the  United  States  troops.  It  was 
because  of  internal  dissensions  that  a  handful  of  Spaniards 
were  able  to  conquer  the  great  kingdom  of  Me.xico,  and  it  was 
in  great  part  due  to  the  same  reason  that  a  few  thousand 
American  troops  were  able  to  force  their  way  from  the  Gulf 
and  unfurl  the  Stars  and  Stripes  over  the  ancient  city  of  Mexico. 

An  interesting  item  in  connection  with  the  famous  battle  of 
Churubusco  is  the  following;  It  was  there  that  the  Mexicans 
made  one  of  their  most  stubborn  stands.  One  jjart  of  the  old 
convent  church  there  was  especially  well  defended.  When  the 
battle  was  over  it  was  found  that  the  troops  defending  that 
point  were  deserters  from  the  American  army.  They  were  all 
Roman  Catholic  Ii’ish,  and  were  known  as  St.  Patrick’s  Battalion. 

20 


Several  of  them  were  hung  as  traitors,  and  about  a  score 
were  branded  on  the  cheeks  with  the  letter  T.  When  Roman 
Catholic  orators  grow  eloquent  in  talking  of  what  their  troops 
have  always  done  for  the  honor  of  the  flag  let  them  remember 
the  battalion  of  traitors  who  slew  many  of  their  own  country¬ 
men  in  the  battle  of  Churubusco,  and  all  in  the  name  of  Holy 
Mother  Church  and  his  holiness  the  Pope  of  Rome.  In  the 
treaty  of  Guadalupe-Hidalgo  Mexico  suffered  a  heavy  loss  of 
territory,  which  to-day  forms  no  inconsiderable  part  of  the  west¬ 
ern  United  States.  From  1830  to  185.5  one  of  the  leading  fig¬ 
ures  in  Mexican  history  is  the  notorious  and  in  many  respects 
infamous  Santa  Anna,  of  whom  it  may  be  said  that  Mexico 
could  neither  get  along  with  him  nor  without  him.  He  Avas  by 
turns  president,  exile,  dictator,  refugee,  and  traitor.  It  will 
be  many  a  year  before  Mexico  erects  a  monument  to  his  honor. 
In  December  of  1855  General  Comonfort,  the  first  liberal  presi¬ 
dent  of  Mexico,  was  installed,  and  in  June,  1856,  issued  the  fa¬ 
mous  decree  ordering  the  sale  of  all  unimproved  Church  lands, 
which  precipitated  the  long  and  fierce  and  as  yet  unfinished 
struggle  between  Church  and  State. 


THE  STRUGGLE  FOR  RELIGIOUS  INDEPENDENCE 

The  Magna  Charta  of  Mexico’s  republican  independence  is 
the  famous  Constitution  adopted  February  5,  1857,  and  which 
is  still  in  force.  In  1858  Benito  Juarez,  sometimes  called 
Juarez  “the  Abraham  Lincoln  of  Mexico,”  came  into  power. 

Juarez  was  a  full-blooded  Zapoteca  Indian,  born  in  1806 
in  the  State  of  Oaxaca.  At  twelve  years  of  age  he  was  a  poor, 
ragged,  barefooted  Indian  boy,  unable  to  speak  the  Spanish 
language.  It  was  one  of  the  strange  providences  of  God  that 
the  Indians,  who  for  so  many  long  and  weary  years  had  been 
robbed  and  ridden  by  the  power  of  Rome  should  have  fur¬ 
nished  in  the  person  of  the  Indian  Juarez  the  most 
pitiless  foe  and  relentless  scourge  of  that  same  haughty 
and  wealtliy  Church  that  has  yet  appeared  in  Mexican 
history.  The  .stripes  upon  the  Church’s  back  administered 
by  Juarez  and  his  friends  of  the  Liberal  Party  are  unhealed 

21 


to-day  There  is  no  man  more  hated  of  the  Clerical  Party  and 
no  man  whose  name  is  more  honored  in  Mexico  to-day  than 
Benito  Juarez,  for  he  it  was  who  helped  the  groaning  and  over¬ 
burdened  people  to  break  the  bands  of  priestly  and  ecclesias¬ 
tical  despotism  that  bound  them  to  the  banks  of  the  Tiber. 
He  was  endowed  with  an  inflexible  will  and  sufficient  clearness 
and  constanc}^  of  purpose  to  fight  the  great  battle  to  a  finish. 
Victor  Hugo  wrote  to  Juarez:  “America  has  two  heroes,  Lin¬ 
coln  and  thee — Lincoln,  by  whom  slavery  has  died; 
The  Lincoln  and  thee,  by  whom  liberty  has  lived.  IMexico  has 
of  Mexico  been  saved  by  a  principle,  by  a  man;  Thou  art  that 
MAN.”  The  struggle  was,  in  a  sense,  the  continuation, 
on  American  soil,  of  the 
fight  begun  by  Luther.  It 
was,  as  the  Mexican  Avriters 
describe  it,  “the  tragedy 
of  a  nation  passing  from 
her  Cah’ary  of  national 
crucifixion  to  Tabor,  the 
mount  of  her  glorious  trans¬ 
figuration.”  This  daring 
figure,  Avhich  contains  no 
intentional  irre\'erence  to 
the  Master,  explains  better 
than  any  other  Avords  can 
the  surging  emotions  AA’hich 
stirred  the  hearts  of  the 
patriot  sons  Avho  fought  in 
the  long  and  bloody  strug¬ 
gle.  But  the  great  epic  of 
that  struggle  is  too  long  to 
be  told  here.  Only  the 
barest  outlines  can  be  glA'en.  ubkoes  of  mexicax  independence 
There  are  many  books  easih' 

accessible  Avhere  all  may  be  read  in  detail.  Suffice  it  to  say 
that  La  Reforma,  the  Avar  for  the  reform  of  the  corrupt  Church 
and  for  the  giA'ing  of  free  thought  and  free  speech  to  the  peo¬ 
ple,  began  and  Avas  continued  Avith  all  the  fury  of  religious  Avar- 

OO 


fare.  Juarez,  on  July  12,  1859,  issued  his  famous  decree  nation- 
alizinjf  all  property  of  the  Church.  At  that  time  the  Church 
owned  or  controlled  at  lea.st  one  half  and  some  say  two  thirds 
of  the  nation’s  wealth,  so  that  the  decree  was  indeed  a  dev¬ 
astating  thunderbolt  in  the  midst  of  her  fat-fed  ease.  What 
she  lost  then  and  afterward  she  has  never  regained,  and  so  long 
as  men  like  Diaz  are  in  power  she  never  will  regain  it. 

The  battle  of  Calpulalpam  (December,  1860),  with  the  defeat 
of  Miramon  by  the  Juarez  forces  under  General  Ortega,  marked 
the  end  of  the  old  order  of  things.  In  addition  to 
Rise  and  Fall  the  difficulties  of  internal  administration  Juarez  un- 
of  the  Empire  fortunately  brought  foreign  war  on  the  country  by 
decreeing  the  suspension  for  two  years  of  the  pay¬ 
ments  on  the  foreign  loan.  The  act,  wise  and  perhaps  necessary 
in  itself,  was  not  managed  with  sufficient  diplomacy,  and  on  Oc¬ 
tober  31,  1861,  the  convention  of  London  was  entered  into  by 
England,  France,  and  Spain,  in  which  these  powers  agreed  upon 
common  action  for  the  protection  of  their  interests  in  Mexico. 
Fleets  were  at  once  dispatched  across  the  ocean,  and  in  De¬ 
cember  a  Spanish  force  occupied  Vera  Cruz.  In  February, 
1862,  England  and  Spain  withdrew  their  forces  upon  becoming 
aware  that  Napoleon  III  was  scheming  to  establish  an  empire, 
supported  by  France,  in  America.  On  the  departure  of  the 
f'inglish  and  Spanish  troops  the  French  came  out  openly  again.st 
the  Mexican  government,  and  were  joined  by  all  the  forces  of  the 
Clerical  Party,  which  was,  of  course,  hostile  to  Juarez  After  a 
number  of  Inittles,  in  which  the  French  were  victorious,  on  June 
10,  1863,  Juarez  and  his  cafiinet  were  compelled  to  flee  from  the 
capital.  On  July  10  an  assembly  of  notables  at  Mexico  pro¬ 
claimed  Mexico  an  empire  and  tendered  the  crown  to  Maxi¬ 
milian,  Archduke  of  Austria,  and  brother  of  the  Emperor  Francis 
Joseph.  Maximilian  accepted,  and  after  having  been 
Maximilian  duly  blessed  by  the  pope  he  and  Carlotta  landed  at 
Vera  Cruz  on  May  29,  1864.  On  June  12  the  sovereigns 
entered  the  capital,  faking  up  their  residence  at  Chapultepec, 
where  they  established  a  court  with  all  the  regalia  and  forms  of 
a  European  dynasty.  But  of  it  all  to-day  nothing  remains  save 
the  gilded  and  gorgeous  state  coach  used  by  the  imperial  couple 

33 


and  wliicli  forms  one  of  the  objects  of  interest  in  the  national 
miisenm.  But  Juarez  still  lived,  the  love  of  liberty  was  not 
dead,  and  the  patriots  still  struogled  on  toward  the  realization 
of  their  high  and  holy  mission.  Maximilian’s  throne  was  upheld 
not  by  the  hands  and  hearts  of  Mexico,  but  ])y  the  l^ayonets  of 
French  soldiers,  and  when,  in  1SG6,  Napoleon  III  was  notified 
by  the  United  States  that  the  further  presence  of  those  soldiers 
in  Mexico  could  no  longer  be  tolerated  tlie  eml  was  not  far  off. 
With  the  departure  of  the  French  troops  Maximilian  was  left 
practically  alone  with  tJarlotta  and  his  band  of  clerical  support¬ 
ers.  But  Juarez,  reform,  and  liberty  were  rolling  u])  in  ever- 
increasing  strength  toward  tliat  tottering  imperial  throne. 
Dissensions,  betrayals,  and  traitors  lielped  to  luring  swiftly  on 
the  inevitable  catastroi)he,  and  after  tiie  siege  and  betrayal  of 
t^ueretaro,  where  Maximilian  laid  made  his  last  stand,  the 
emperor  was  cajffured,  given  a  military  trial,  and  shot  with 
his  faithful  generals,  Mejia  and  IMiramon,  on  June  19,  18(37. 
In  the  meanwhile  Carlotta  had  gone  to  Furope  and  had  begged 
the  pope  to  interfere  in  their  behalf,  but  the  astute  old  pontiff 
saw  the  portents  in  the  air;  he  saw  the  civil  w'ar  ended,  and  he 
heard  the  voice  of  the  government  at  IVashington  speaking 
words  of  good  cheer  and  hope  to  Benito  Juarez  and  his  cause; 
and  so  Borne  then,  as  ever,  was  false  and  faithless  to  those 
whose  star  was  declining.  Boor  Cailotta  lost  her  reason  and 
happily  never  knew  of  the  tragic  fate  of  her  husband,  and  to-day 
still  lives,  a  harndess  lunatic  in  her  splendid  palace  near  Brus¬ 
sels.  If  the  heroes  of  Le.xington  tired  the  shot  heard  round 
the  world,  none  the  less  were  the  shots  fired  at  the  execution 
of  Maximilian  heard  and  heeded  all  over  Mexico  and  the  world; 
for  it  was  not  a  man  who  di('d,  but  an  evil  principle  that  ])er- 
ished;  it  was  the  shot  that  announced  the  end  of  papal  and  for¬ 
eign  intervention  in  the  affairs  of  IMexico;  it  was  the  end  of  a 
struggle  that  had  lasted  from  1520  until  1807. 

After  four  years  of  absence  Juarez  entered  the  city  of  Mexico 
on  July  15,  1867,  and  began  the  reorganization  of  the  republic. 
An  election  was  held  which  confirmed  him  in  the  presidency, 
and  he  held  the  position  until  his  death,  in  1872.  To-day  in 
the  Panteon  of  Han  Fernando  his  ashes  rest  beneath  a  marble 

24 


cenotaph  that  represents  the  spirit  of  his  country  holding  his 
head  lovingly  on  her  laj:).  It  is  a  great  and  beautiful  work  of 
Mexican  art,  worthy  of  the  man  whose  memory  it 
Reorganization  commemorates.  Lerdo  de  Tejada  succeeded  to  the 
of  the  Republic  office  and  held  it  until  1876,  when  he  was  succeeded 

by  Porfirio  Diaz,  who  became  president  in  1877. 
In  1880  Diaz  was  succeeded  by  his  friend.  General  Manuel  Gon¬ 
zalez,  whose  four  years  of  inefficiency  convinced  Diaz  of  the 
necessity  of  governing  in  person.  Since  then  he  has  continued 
to  fill  the  presidential  office.  Hidalgo’s  task  was  to  liberate 
Mexico  from  Spain,  the  task  of  Juarez  was  to  liberate  her  from 
Home,  and  to  Diaz  has  fallen  the  labor  of  arousing  his  country 
from  the  sloth  and  ignorance  bred  and  fostered  by  the  centuries 
of  vassalage  under  these  twin  tyrants.  Only  those  who  knew 
Mexico  thirty  jmars  ago  are  capable  of  judging  correctly  of 
what  has  l)een  wrought  under  the  firm  and  almost  despotic  rule 
of  Diaz,  one  of  the  greatest  statesmen  of  the  nineteenth  cen¬ 
tury.  Under  his  wise  and  fostering  care  have  occurred  the  re¬ 
markable  extension  of  railroads  that  has  knit  together  the  most 
distant  portions  of  the  republic,  the  great  advance  in  textile  in¬ 
dustries,  the  enormous  development  of  mines,  the  practical  re¬ 
building  of  the  capital,  soon  to  be  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
cities  in  the  world,  and  the  e.xtension  of  the  common-school 
system  to  all  parts  of  the  republic. 

In  a  personal  interview  granted  the  writer  ho  said:  “  I  realize 
that  my  country  needs  two  things  more  especially — public  schools 
to  educate  Ihe  coming  generation,  and  railroads  in 
Two  Great  order  that  the  people  of  the  different  sections  may 
Needs  travel,  lose  their  pi’ovincial  ideas,  and  become  welded 

into  one  ])eople.”  With  the  advent  of  Diaz  the  curtain 
fell  u])on  the  years — centuries — of  blood  and  struggle;  the  era 
of  peace  came  at  last,  the  period  of  tlevelopment  and  enlighten¬ 
ment.  It  was  about  this  time  that  Protestantism,  with  an  open 
Pil)le  and  the  message  of  full  and  free  salvation  through  faith  in 
Jesus  Clu'ist,  came  to  the  ancient  land  of  the  Aztecs,  from  which 
she  had  been  so  rigidly,  mercilessly,  and  bloodily  shut  out  dur¬ 
ing  all  the  years. 


RAILROADS 

COMPLETED,  CONSTRUCTING  &  PROJECTED 

Mexican  Railway, . marked  No.  1 

Mexican  Central, . 

Mexican  National, . 

Sonora, . 

International, . 

Mexican  Oriental, . 

Mexican  Southern . 

Inieroceanic . 

Tehuantepec, . 

Yucatan . 

Hidalgo, . 

C.H.MOR.gAN 


MEXI 

SCALE  OF  Ml 

0  so"  100  200  30 

I 


110 


105 


100 


WHAT  PROTESTANTISM  FOUND  IN  MEXICO 
AFTER  THREE  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTY  YEARS  OF 
ROMAN  CATHOLIC  DOMINION 

1.  She  found  a  Churcl^  that  had  taken  no  pains  at  all  to  edu¬ 
cate  the  people  over  whom  she  had  ruled  for  three  centuries 
and  a  half.  This  assertion  is  proved  by  the  illiteracy  of 
Illiteracy  all  the  Indians  and  the  larger  part  of  the  me.stizo,  or 
mixed,  races.  Although  the  printing  press  was  at  work 
in  Mexico  in  1539  and  has  been  there  ever  since,  the  noble 
invention  of  Gutenberg  and  Fust  has  meant  little  or  nothing  to 
millions  of  Mexico’s  population.  Nearly  all  of  the  books  printed 
were  of  a  religious  nature  and  intended  for  the  use  of  the 
priests  or  the  authorities.  Even  to  this  day  a  large  proportion 
of  the  common  people  have  no  more  idea  of  the  meaning  or 
value  of  the  printed  page  than  the  peasantry  of  Europe  had  in 
the  sixteenth  century.  To  show  the  attitude  of  the  Homan 
Church  toward  all  that  did  not  smell  of  Rome  it  will  be  suf¬ 
ficient  to  recall  the  notorious  deeds  of  the  first  archbishop  o^f 
Mexico,  Fray  Juan  de  Zumarraga.  At  the  time  of  the  conque.st 
by  the  Spaniards,  and  we  know  not  for  how  long  previously, 
IMexico  was  in  possession  of  a  picture  writing,  symbolical  in 
meaning.  The  Mexican  books  were  manufactured  chiefly  from 
the  tough  and  lu.strous  fibers  of  the  maguey  plant,  although 
other  materials,  such  as  dressed  deer  skins,  were  also  employed. 
These  books  contained  the  history,  science,  and  philosophy  of 
the  nation.  The  explanation  of  those  written  characters  would 
now  be  hailed  with  universal  delight  and  might  shed  a  bright 
illumination  on  the  origin  of  a  very  important  part  of  our  popu¬ 
lation  and  tlie  history  of  our  race.  Rut  scholars  and  statesmen 
were  doomed  to  be  forever  deprived  of  the  materials  for  such 
an  investigation.  Literature  of  any  kind  but  one  was  hateful 
in  the  eyes  of  those  men  who  first  came  in  contact  with  the 
Mexicans.  It  is  the  shame  of  an  archbishop  that  adds  another 
dark  chapter  to  the  long  history  of  the  destroyers  of  literature. 
Let  the  name  of  Don  Juan  de  Zumarraga  be  marked  as  that  of 
one  of  the  darkeners  of  human  intelligence.  This  prelate,  about 
twenty  years  after  the  mournful  destruction  of  priceless  Arabian 

28 


luanu.script.s  by  Xinieiies,  diligently  collected  all  the  Mexican 
manuscripts,  especially  from  Tezcnco,  the  literary  capital  of  the 
Mexican  empire,  piled  them  into  one  great  heap  in  the 
A  Literary  market  place  of  Tlatelolco,  and  reduced  them  all  to 

Bonfire  ashes.  The  rage  of  the  destroyer  did  not  end  here,  but 

^  extended  to  all  parts  of  the  country.  In  this  man¬ 
ner  the  records  of  IMe.xico’s  past  were  hopelessly  lost,  and 
all  our  history  must  begin  -svith  the  chronicles  of  the  priests 
who  came  over  with  the  conquering  Spaniards.  At  the  begin¬ 
ning  of  the  nineteenth  century  Lizardi,  known  as  “The  Mexi¬ 
can  Thinker,”  was  hounded  by  the  Inquisition  because  of  his 
liberal  use  of  the  printing  press  to  help  a  little  bit  in  the  educa¬ 
tion  of  his  fellow-citizens. 

'I'lie  Holy  Church  was  far  moi-e  lenient  to  the  ignorant  and 
crime-stained  robber  than  she  was  to  the  educated  man  who 
dared  lift  up  his  voice  in  favor  of  moral  and  intel- 
The  Roman  lectual  progress,  and  as  it  was  then  so  is  it  to-day. 

Church  Opposed  To-day  the  Roman  Church  in  Mexico  is  the  deadly 
to  Progress  and  relentless  foe  of  all  that  is  meant  by  a  free  press, 

free  thought  and  speech,  and  free  public  schools. 
She  crushed  and  destroyed  it  so  long  as  she  had  the  power, 
and  now  that  her  fangs  and  teeth  have  been  pulled  she  retains 
the  same  undying  hatred  for  all  that  the  printing  press  means 
to  the  people  of  Hngland,  Cermany,  and  the  United  States. 
If  she  dared,  if  she  had  the  ])ower,  she  would  to-day  drive  every 
Protestant  from  Mexico,  set  up  the  Impiisition  again,  and 
plunge  Mexico  again  into  the  darkness  of  the  good  old  times 
(for  the  Church)  of  the  sixteenth  century. 

2.  M'hen  Protestantism  entered  IMexico,  thirty  years  ago,  she 
found  a  Church  that  had  signally  failed  to  make  even  tolerable 
Christians  out  of  the  majority  of  Mexico’s  millions.  As 
Paganism  already  shown  in  the  forim'r  part  of  this  booklet,  the  In¬ 
dians  and  common  people  were  and  still  are  Christian 
only  in  name.  Supenstitions  prevail;  witchcraft  is  believed  in 
and  practiced  to  a  great  extent.  The  writer  had  an  interview 
with  a  Spanish  priest  in  the  mountains  of  Puebla  and  was  told 
the  following  anecdote:  In  another  part  of  the  Sierra  the  priest 
had  noticed  that  although  the  Indians,  as  they  went  along  the 


mountain  trails,  would  always  make  a  reverence  in  front  of  the 
numerous  crosses  on  the  hilltops  and  in  the  valleys,  there  was 
one  large  stone  cross  on  a  certain  eminence  before  which  the 
Indians  would  always  kneel  and  pray.  The  priest’s  curiosity 
was  aroused,  and  he  had  the  cross  taken  to  pieces  and  found  that 
it  was  hollow.  Inside  was  a  stuffed  owl,  the  Indian  symbol  of 
the  evil  spirit,  and  the  Indians  really  had  been  worshiping  that 
pagan  emblem  and  not  the  emblem  of  the  Christian  faith. 
Last  year  during  a  terrific  storm  not  far  from  Puebla  the  light¬ 
ning  struck  the  roof  of  the  parish  church  in  an  Indian  village. 
The  bolt  tore  up  the  roof  and,  passing  within,  struck  the  main 
altar,  containing  a  famous  image  of  the  Virgin.  The  electric 
fluid  burned  all  the  gaudy  trappings  from  the  image,  but  did 
not  destroy  the  image  for  the  following  reason:  The  image 
was  nothing  more  nor  less  than  a  pagan  idol  of  stone,  an 
ancient  goddess  of  the  old  Aztecs  that  was  dressed  and  gilded 
to  represent  the  Virgin  Mary.  The  Indians  who  knew  and  the 
priests  who  did  not  know  this  had  left 
their  offerings  and  burned  their  candles 
not  before  the  image  of  the  Virgin,  but 
before  an  old  pagan  stone  idol! 

A  German  priest  who  lived  for  some 
time  in  Puebla  told  me  the  following: 

He  was  called  to  confess  a  very 
Catholic  sick  Indian,  and  in  his  confession 
Idolaters  the  Indian  told  him  that  he  had 
not  been  a  true  son  of  the  Church, 
but  with  many  others  had  secretly  re¬ 
tained  his  fear  and  reverence  for  the 
gods  of  his  ancestors.  He  said  that  in 
a  certain  cave  in  the  mountains  not 
far  from  Puebla  the  padre  would  find 
the  idols  which  the  Indians  of  his  vil¬ 
lage  went  to  worship  secretly  at  cer¬ 
tain  times  of  the  year.  The  priest  went 
there,  found  and  took  possession  of  several  idols  and  pagan 
objects  of  worship  and  use,  and  brought  them  to  the  bishop  of 
Puebla.  The  latter  rvas  very  much  shocked  and  mortified 

30 


A  MEXICAN  IDOL, 
YCCATAN 


and  told  this  priest,  Father  H - e,  of  the  College  of  the  Prop¬ 

aganda  of  Rome,  not  to  let  it  be  known  that  almost  within  the 
sound  of  the  cathedral  l)ells  of  Puebla  so-called  sons  of  the  Church 
were  still  practicing  the  idolatrous  customs  of  four  centuries 
ago.  The  priest,  however,  told  me  ju.st  as  I  have  written  it. 

3.  Protestantism  found  here  a  church  that  had  been  unable 
during  three  hundred  and  fifty  years  to  raise  a  large  percentage 
of  the  people  above  the  wigwam  stage  of  life  socially 
Degradation  and  morally.  Although  the  Indians  do  not  live  in 
wigwams,  they  occupy  miserable  huts  of  sticks,  stones, 
cornstalks,  grass  reeds,  maguey  leaves,  or  mud-pla.stered  bam¬ 
boos  that  are  ju.st  as  uncomfortable  inside  as  a  wigwam.  They 
have  no  furniture,  no  lamp,  no  conveniences  of  any  sort,  not 
even  a  floor.  The  rain  pours  in  through  the  roofs,  the  wind 


A  TVIUCAI.  INTEKIOK  OF  ME.XIOAN  INDIAN  IICT. 
WOMAN  .MAKING  TOKTILLAS  ” 


and  cold  come  in  everywhere,  and  the  only  way  to  keep  warm 
is  by  huddling  about  the  fire  built  among  some  stones  in  the 
middle  of  the  dirt  floor.  A  great  many  filthy  personal  haliits 
prevail,  such  as  strike  the  foreigner  with  horror.  They  are  poor 
and  degraded,  ignorant,  superstitious,  and  drunken.  And  yet 
they  are  just  as  Romanism  made  them  during  three  and  a  half 
centuries  of  uninterrupted  and  absolute  rule.  If  they  are  not  the 
leqitimate  'product  of  Romanism,  why  are  they  not  ? 

31 


4.  Protestantism  found  here  a  Churcli,  rich,  powerful,  and 
haughty,  which  had  given  to  the  people  of  Mexico  but  a  hideous 
travesty  of  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ,  a  mixture  of 
Degenerate  saint  and  Virgin  worship  and  rank  superstitions  of 

Church  paganism.  You  can  take  the  denunciations  of  the 

scribes  and  Pharisees  by  Christ  and  apply  them  liter¬ 
ally  to  the  great  body  of  the  Mexican  prie.sts  as  they  were 
thirty  years  ago.  We  know  priests  who  are  good  and  true 
men,  but  they  are  in  an  insignificant  minority.  The  Mexican 
clergy  is  considered  with  so  little  favor  in  Rome  that  in  all 
these  years,  during  which  Mexico  has  poured  uncounted 
treasure  into  Spain  and  Rome,  she  has  never  yet  been  able 
to  get  a  Mexican  cardinal,  and  the  prospects  are  that  she 
will  have  to  wait  many  years  more  for  that  eagerly  desired 
honor. 

Under  the  very  shadow  of  the  Church  of  Guadalupe,  the 
Mecca  of  Mexico,  and  on  the  holiest  days  of  the  Church  calendar 
you  will  see  more  gambling,  drunkenness,  quarreling,  and 
Holy  Days  fighting  than  anywhere  else  in  Mexico.  There  the  pick- 
are  Days  pockets  and  depraved  women  ply  their  trade,  and  any 
of  T error  decent  pagan,  would  either  laugh  or  else  hold  up  his 

hands  in  horror  to  be  told  that  these  were  festivities  in 
connection  with  the  honoring  of  the  nation’s  patron  saint,  the 
Virgin  of  Guadalupe.  All  the  holy  days  of  the  Church  are  times 
for  extra  policemen  to  be  called  for,  when  there  is  more  drunken¬ 
ness  of  the  most  beastly  sort  on  the  part  of  both  men  and 
women,  and  when  there  are  more  cutting  and  stabbing  affrays. 
Religion  in  Mexico  among  the  common  people  has  absolutely 
no  connection  with  morality  or  cleanliness  of  body,  mind,  or 
lips.  The  language  that  floats  up  from  the  streets  all  through 
the  Sunday  afternoons  here  in  Puebla,  this  city  of  the  Levites 
of  Mexico,  is  something  to  make  one  shudder.  To  lie,  to  steal, 
to  break  all  the  Commandments  is  at  least  condoned,  if  not  al¬ 
lowed,  so  long  as  the  person  goes  to  mass  and  confession  and 
pays  the  Church  tithes.  It  would  be  considered  a  sin  for  one 
to  work  on  a  Church  feast  day,  but  not  a  sin  to  get  drunk  or 
to  go  to  a  bullfight  on  Sunday  afternoon.  A  woman  said  here 
in  Puebla  that  she  would  rather  see  her  daughter  an  inmate  of 

32 


a  brothel,  and  yet  a  good  Catholic,  than  to  see  her  inside  our 
Methodist  church  here. 

In  all  the  books  prepared  for  the  religious  instruction  of  tlie 
people  the  second  commandment  is  omitted.  It  would  l)c 


X.NTEKIOK  OF  THE  CATUEDilAE  Oi"  PUEIU^A 


impossible  for  the  priests  to  retain  that  commandment  in  the 
catechism  and  at  the  same  time  go  on  with  the  idolatrous 
image  and  idol  worship  that  is  everywhere  prevalent. 
No'Second  With  the  exception  of  a  marble  statue  of  Christ 
Commandment  made  in  Italy  by  a  real  sculptor,  and  lately  set  up 
in  the  Cathedral  of  Puebla,  I  have  never  seen  an 
image  of  Christ  in  Mexico  that  was  not  positively  hideous  and 

33 


revolting.  He  is  always  represented  as  the  “Man  of  sorrows,” 
as  the  scourged,  thorn-crowned,  and  crucified  Chri.st,  but  never 
as  the  exultant  and  risen  Lord  of  life  and  glory.  Blood  in 
streams  and  Irlack  clots  and  cakes  covers  his  forehead  and  face, 
and  fills  his  eyes,  mouth,  and  nostrils.  Blood  streams  down 
his  limbs.  His  eyes  are  always  turned  upward  as  though  in 
unutterable  agony,  ftpon  his  brow  is  set  a  crown  of  terrible 
thorns,  and  U2:)on  his  shoulder  is  laid  a  great  cross.  Mexico 
knows  nothing  of  the  risen  and  glorified  Saviour;  hers  is  a  dead 
or  dying  Christ.  Her  religion  has  in  it  nothing  of  the  joy  of  the 
Psalms  and  Gospels,  nothing  of  the  melody  and  music  and  in¬ 
spiration  of  hymns  so  dear  to  the  Prote.stants,  nothing  of  the 
gladness  of  Christianity,  nothing  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  type 
of  Christianity  that  prevails  here  is  gloomy,  sad,  narrow,  and 
fanatical,  where  it  is  not  licentiously  lax. 

G,  the  depth  of  the  abyss  that  separates  these  people  from 
the  tender,  loving  presence  and  knowledge  of  the  I.ord  Jesus 
Christ!  O,  the  dreadful  reckoning  that  the  Church  which  has 
ruled  here  for  centuries  will  be  called  upon  to  pay  when  the 
Judge  of  all  the  earth  shall  ask  after  these  little  ones,  his  breth¬ 
ren,  in  the  la,st  day! 

“  Pvaffles  of  Souls”  (!)  by  means  of  which  souls  are  raffled  out 
of  purgatory,  are  held  in  most  of  the  churches  each  November. 
A  ticket  costs  from  six  cents  to  twenty-five  cents,  and 
“  Raffles  those  purchasing  tickets  are  entitled  to  enter  the  names 

of  Souls  ”  of  their  departed  loved  ones  in  the  raffle.  If  they  should 

happen  to  get  the  capital  prize  they  are  sure  that  their 
friend  or  dear  one  will  be  rele.ased  from  the  flames  of  pur¬ 
gatory.  (The  writer  can  supply  copies  in  facsimile  of  such 
announcements  of  “A  Grand  Raffle  of  Souls”  in  Spanish  and 
English  for  ten  cents  each.) 

5.  Protestantism  found  here  a  Clmrch  calling  itself  the  only 
true  Christian  Church,  and  yet  the  Ijitter  and  relentless  foe 
of  the  Bible.  By  the  decree  of  the  Inquisition  in  the 
Opposition  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  the  Bible  was  for- 
to  the  Bible  bidden  to  the  IMexican  people  in  Avhatsoever  tongue  or 
edition.  That  decree  has  never  been  lifted,  and  until 
this  year  of  1904,  from  the  time  of  the  Spanish  conquest  in  1.520, 

34 


the  only  edition  of  any  unniutilated  part  of  the  Holy  Scriptures 
in  the  language  of  Mexico  was  the  edition  of  the  Gospel  accord¬ 
ing  to  St-  Luke  as  printed  in  the  Aztec  tongue  on  our  Methodist 
Episcopal  press  in  Mexico  City  in  1879.  Away  back  in  the  six¬ 
teenth  century  a  good  and  wise  priest  prepared  a  part  of  the 
epistles  in  the  Zapoteca  language  for  the  use  of  that  people. 
But  he  was  punished  for  his  too  much  zeal,  and  his  book  was 
placed  under  the  ban.  To-day  that  book  is  worth  far  more  than 
its  weight  in  gold. 

The  first  edition  of  the  entire  Bible  in  Spanish  and  Latin 
printed  in  Mexico  appeared  in  1833,  more  than  three  hundred 
years  after  the  Roman  Catholic  conquest  of  Mexico.  But  the 
edition  was  in  twenty-five  volumes  Avith  an  atlas,  and  cost 
o\"er  $150,  so  that,  so  far  as  tlie  common  people  AA^ere  con¬ 
cerned,  it  might  as  Avell  have  never  been  printed.  That  Avas 
seventy-one  years  ago.  It  is  the  only  edition  of  the  Bible  eA’er 
printed  in  Mexico.  All  that  Mexico  of  to-day  knoAA^s  about 
the  Bible  is  due  to  the  splendid  efforts  of  the  American  Bible 
Society  since  1846  and  the  different  missionary  societies  since 
1869.  Of  course  where  the  majority  of  the  population  is  illit¬ 
erate  a  Bible  Avould  be  a  useless  book,  although  it  AAere 
jAi’inted  in  gold  and  crimson  and  bound  in  vellum  set  Avith 
precious  jcAvels. 

A  good  friend  of  mine,  noAV  dead,  AA'as  coiiA^erted  to  God, 
not  by  the  Bible,  but  by  reading  a  copj^  of  Uncle  Tom’s  Cabin 
in  Spanish.  At  that  time  he  had  neA^er  seen  a 
“  Uncle  Tom’s  Bible  nor  had  he  heard  of  a  Protestant.  But 

Cabin  ”  a  Means  AA'hen  he  read  about  LTicle  Tom  and  little  EA’a  a 

of  Grace  great  hunger  and  thirst  for  God  aAvoke  in  his  soul, 

and  he  did  not  cease  until  he  had  found  a  Bible, 
found  Chri.st  as  his  SaAUOur  and  the  singing  joy  of  sah'ation. 
In  a  fanatical  attack  upon  a  Protestant  congregation  AA’here  he 
Avas  present  lie  lost  three  fingers  of  his  right  hand  tliat  he  lifted 
to  stay  a  machete  stroke. 


35 


WHAT  METHODISM  HAS  DONE  IN  MEXICO 
DURING  THE  PAST  THIRTY  YEARS 

]\Iethodi.sm  began  her  glorious  work  in  Mexico  with  the 
coming  of  Rev.  William  Butler  to  that  country  in  1873.  With 
the  memory  of  his  great  work  in  India  to  strengthen  his 
Founding  of  heart  and  faith  he  joyfully  began  the  task  of  founding 
Our  Mission  the  Methodist  Church  in  the  land  covered  with  the 
ruins  of  ancient  Aztec  idolatry  and  with  the  splendid 
temples  of  the  hoary  system  of  semi-pagan  Roman  Catholicism. 

In  Mexico  City  the  property  acquired  by  Dr.  Butler  was  a 
part  of  the  famous  church  and  convent  of  San  Francisco,  which 
occupied  the  ancient  site  of  Montezuma’s  Gardens.  After  the 
secularization  of  the  Church  property,  in  1857,  the  convent 
passed  into  secular  hands.  For  some  years  the  large  interior 
court  had  served  the  purposes  of  the  Chiarini  Circus.  The  fol¬ 
lowing  is  a  notice  printed  in  one  of  the  Church  organs  when  it 
became  knovm  that  the  hated  Protestants  had  secured  the 
property : 

“  EACH  TIME  AVORSE 

“  It  is  said  that  the  Protestants  have  purchased  the  Chiarini 
Circus.  As  is  known,  this  place  is  formed  out  of  a  patio  of  the 
Monastery  of  San  Francisco.  You  will  wander  lamenting 
around  that  place  which  was  sanctified  by  the  presence  of  the 
sons  of  St.  Francis  and  which  has  been  profaned  in  a  descending 
scale  by  rope  dancing,  immoral  shows,  licentious  balls,  and 
finally  by  the  ceremonies  of  a  dissenting  sect  which  is  the  enemy 
of  the  Church.  It  is  a  real  profanation,  but  it  cannot  be  reme¬ 
died,  for  power  protects  the  profaners.” 

That  one  time  convent  and  circus  is  now  the  center  of  our 
Methodist  work  in  Mexico,  a  stately  and  beautiful  edifice  in  the 
business  heart  of  the  capital  city,  and  where  we  have  housed 
two  congregations,  two  pastors  and  our  Conference  treasurer, 
our  splendid  printing  plant,  and  our  book  depository  and  offices 
of  El  Abogado  Cristiano. 

Our  first  property  in  Puebla,  the  ecclesiastical  center  of 
Catholicism  in  Mexico,  was  formerly  a  part  of  the  Inquisition 

3G 


buildings  of  the  Dominicans.  In  the  immense  walls  were  found 
the  skeletons  of  victims  who  had  been  icalled  tip  alive  there  by 
the  inquisitors  Later  on  that  property  was  sold,  and  we  secured 
a  much  more  favorable  site  in  one  of  the  best  parts  of  the 
Puebla  city,  where  we  now  have  the  schools  of  the  Woman’s 
Foreign  Missionary  Society  and  the  Mexican  Methodist 
Institute  and  a  beautiful  brick  church.  AVhile  this  church  was 
building  the  fanatical  Catholics  tried  to  burn  it  down,  and  once 
Dr.  Graver  was  fired  at 
from  an  opposite  roof  as 
he  sat  writing  in  his  of¬ 
fice.  Dur  Puebla  property 
was  also  formerly  the  site 
of  a  large  and  wealthy 
nunnery,  and  visitors  are 
still  shown  the  great  stone 
fountain  and  thick-arched 
rooms  that  remain  from 
the  convent  days. 

Those  early  days  were 
days  of  trial  and  triumph. 

But  God  sent  men 
Pioneer  and  women  who  were 
Heroes  of  heroic  fiber.  The 
names  of  Drees, Butler, 

Graver,  Siberts,  Smith, 

Leiiders.  and  Palacios 
will  always  be  held  in 
loving  memory  by  those 
who  know  aught  of  the 
early  history  of  Metho¬ 
dism  in  Mexico. 

In  Pachuca,  the  great  mining  center,  and  the  home  of  some 
five  hundred  English  miners  and  their  families,  we  have  a 
magnificent  property.  Our  church  there  is  called  the 
Pachuca  Protestant  Cathedral  of  Mexico,  and  the  building  of  the 
Woman’s  Foreign  ^Missionary  Society  adjoining  is  the 
home  of  several  hundreds  of  day  and  boarding  pupils  who  are 


1‘LLPIT  OF  CnUKCII  OF  S.VN  FJtANCISCO, 
TL.AXC.\L.\ 


37 


being  trained  for  Christian  Mexican  womanhood  It  is  difficult 
to  overestimate  the  influence  for  good  that  is  being  exercised 
on  the  future  of  Mexico  by  the  wmrk  among  the  girls  and  young 
women  in  our  four  great  Woman’s  Foreign  Missionary  Society 


METIIOIUST  EI'ISCOPAL  CIIUKCII,  PACIIUCA 
Market  dealers  in  foreground 


scliools  in  Guanajuato,  Mexico,  Puebla,  and  Pachuca.  We  are 
educating  briglit  girls  to  become  the  future  Christian  wives 
and  mothers  in  this  land.  So  well  known  and  appreciated  is 
our  work  in  this  line  that  all  of  our  schools  are  crowded — 
overcrowded. 


88 


]iut  while  the  work  is  so  interesting,  profitable,  and  progress¬ 
ive  in  the  larger  cities,  it  is  out  in  the  smaller  villages  that  pos¬ 
sibly  our  work  for  Christ  is  more  apparent.  I  will 
San  Felipe  give  a  few  concrete  examples  : 

Teotlalzingo  This  is  a  village  of  full-blooded  Aztecs,  about  three 
hours  from  Puebla  by  rail  and  horseback.  You  will 
notice  how  the  name  is  a  combination  of  Roman  Catholicism  and 
ancient  paganism;  for  “San  Felipe”  means  “Saint  Philip,” 
while  “Teotlalzingo”  means  “the  land  of  the  gods.”  This  com¬ 
bination  of  Romanism  and  paganism  in  the  names  of  towns  and 
places  is  very  common  throughout  Mexico. 

In  this  place  we  have  had  work  established  for  several  years. 
Once  the  little  building  that  then  served  as  schoolhouse  and 
church  was  attacked  by  fanatics,  instigated  by  the  priest,  and 
several  shots  were  fired  through  the  wooden  door.  I  saw  the 
bullet  holes.  Five  years  ago  one  of  the  graduates  of  our  theo¬ 
logical  school  in  Puebla,  a  full-blooded  Aztec,  was  sent  out  to 
that  place  as  pastor.  When  he  arrived  he  found  things  in  a  Ijad 
way.  The  few  Methodists  were  hated  and  persecuted,  and 
people  would  spit  at  them  and  cross  themselves  when  they  met 
our  people  in  the  streets.  I  secured  funds  from  a  friend  in  the 
United  States  with  which  to  buy  a  fine  piece  of  land 
A  Working  with  a  good  roomy  adobe  building  on  it  in  the  very 
People  center  of  the  town,  directly  opposite  the  parish  church. 

Through  the  same  kind  friend  a  nice  organ  was  secured, 
the  Indian  congregation  paying  the  $75  freight  and  customs 
charges.  The  pastor  was  organist.  He  preached  the  Gospel, 
had  conversions  and  accessions.  He  opened  a  day  school,  and 
began  to  make  his  influence  felt.  The  Indians  said,  “We  ought 
to  have  a  floor  in  our  church.”  Out  of  their  grinding  poverty 
they  gathered  enough  money  to  put  down  a  nice  brick  floor. 
Then  they  said,  “  We  must  have  some  good  seats  instead  of 
these  old  broken  and  unsightly  benches.”  Again  they  began 
scraping  and  saving  and  were  able  to  have  one  of  their  carpen¬ 
ters  make  .sixty  good  strong  chairs.  Then  they  said,  “We  are 
ashamed  of  this  old  lamp;  we  must  have  something  better.”  So 
they  all  worked  together,  and  in  a  few  months  had  enough  with 
which  to  purchase  two  large  hanging  lamps  of  the  best  make. 

39 


Again  they  said,  “We  must  have  a  clock.”  More  saving  and 
gathering,  and  a  fine  large  American  wall  clock  was  procured. 

Then  they  said,  “  Now  we  must  have  a  pulpit  and  an  altar  for 
our  pastor.”  The  Methodi.st  carpenter  went  to  work,  and  in  a 
short  time  they  had  a  nicely  finished  altar  and  pulpit.  I  secured 
a  good  pulpit  Bible  for  them  from  the  American  Bible  Society, 
whose  agent  kindly  donated  it  to  them. 

All  these  months  the  church  and  school  were  growing.  The 
prejudice  was  dying  out.  The  pastor  was  faithful,  vigilant,  and 


M.VKING  TUE  MEXICAN  “  UKAWN  WOUK  ” 

sensible,  and,  above  all,  he  was  a  full-blooded  Indian,  and 
preached  and  lield  prayer  meetings  in  the  Aztec  tongue.  One  of 
the  most  faithful  members  is  a  very  old  Indian  woman 
A  Faithful  who  cannot  talk  Spanish.  M’hen  I  was  there  the  last 
Pastor  time  she  could  only  take  me  by  the  hand  and  say, 

“Jesus,  hermano,  Jesus”  (“Jesus,  brother,  Jesus”). 
Little  liy  little  victory  came.  The  leading  Catholic  of  the  town 

40 


was  converted,  he  who  used  to  be  the  master  of  ceremonies  in 
the  Roman  Catholic  church  there.  The  teacher  of  the  govern¬ 
ment  school  became  one  of  ours,  as  also  the  leading  mer- 
A  Growing  chant  and  the  jefe  'politico,  or  mayor. 

Church  To-day  Methodism  runs  that  town.  The  church  has 

been  twice  enlarged,  and  within  a  few  weeks  will  cele¬ 
brate  the  third  extension  of  its  walls,  when  it  will  be  our  largest 
and  most  completely  furnished  native  church.  The  congregation 
averages  over  one  hundred,  and  the  day  school  has  over  sixty- 
five  pupils.  There  is  a  flourishing  Sunday  school  and  Epworth 
League.  They  are  now  anxious  to  have  a  bell  for  their  beauti¬ 
ful  little  church.  If  some  one  who  reads  these  lines 
San  Salvador  could  secure  them  a  bell  how  thankful  they  would  be! 
Tzompantepec  This  is  another  Indian  town,  not  far  from  the 
ancient,  historic  city  of  Tlaxcala.  Here  we  have 
a  band  of  faithful  Indian  Methodists  who  are  very  poor  and 
have  been  fiercely  persecuted,  several  of  them  having  been 
imprisoned  by  means  of  the  efforts  of  the  hostile  priest.  The 
la.st  time  I  visited  that  place  they  came  out  to  welcome  our 
party  with  a  l^and  of  music.  The  following  anecdote  will  show 
that  these  Indians  really  are  Christians,  fearing  God  and  keep¬ 
ing  his  commandments  :  Some  time  ago  the  local  authori¬ 
ties  decided  that  a  new  .stone  l)ridge  must  be  built  across 
a  little  arroyo  near  the  village.  They  ordered  all  the  men 
to  be  on  hand  the  following  Sunday  to  work  on  the  l)ridge. 
The  men  who  were  members  of  our  congregation  refused  to 
work  on  Sunday,  and  although  they  were  in  the  minority, 
offered  to  build  one  half  of  the  bridge  if  allowed  to  do  so  on  week 
days.  Their  request  was  finally  granted.  On  the  Sunday  the 
Roman  Catholic  men  and  their  wives  were  on  hand,  and  also 
great  quantities  of  pulque  and  native  whisky.  They  made  a 
regular  feast  out  of  their  part  of  the  bridge-building. 
Contrasts  in  and  it  was  but  a  drunken  piece  of  work  at  the  best. 

Bridge-building  On  Monday  our  Methodists  went  to  work  on  their 
half,  and  as  we  have  there  the  best  stone  masons  in 
the  town  their  part  of  the  work  was  done  in  a  creditable  and 
workmanlike  manner.  There  it  stands  to  this  day,  huilded  in 
stone,  so  that  every  passer-by  may  see  and  know — the  difference  he- 

41 


tween  drunken  Roman  Catholicism  aoul 
sober  Methodism.  These  truly  faithful 
and  loyal  Methodists  are  in  great  need 
of  money  with  which  to  buy  a  good 
piece  of  land  and  erect  a  modest 

Tuxtepec,  church  and  school  building. 

Oaxaca  Here  is  another  sample  of 

what  the  Gospel  is  doing 
among  our  Mexican  Indians.  Only 
a  few  years  ago  this  important  little 
city  down  in  the  tropics  of  the 
State  of  Oaxaca  was,  for  the  first 
time,  visited  by  a  Protestant  mission¬ 
ary  in  the  person  of  our  lamented 
Brother  L.  C.  Smith.  He  held  meet¬ 
ings  in  the  home  of  a  liberal  Indian. 
He  sung — and  how  he  could  sing  ! — 
the  songs  of  Zion  in  Spanish,  prayed, 
preached,  and  told  them  what  Prot¬ 
estantism  stood  for.  They  liked  it, 
and  wanted  more.  But  it  was  not 
until  three  years  later  that  we  could 
send  them  a  pastor,  a  former  student 
in  our  Puebla  Theological  School. 
He  was  active,  energetic,  full  of  zeal, 
and  wonderfully  baptized  not  only 
with  power  from  on  high,  but  also 
with  common  sense.  He  visited, 
talked,  explained,  prayed,  and 
preached.  The  mission  helped  him 
all  it  could;  the  presiding  elder  raised 
money  in  the  United  States  to  help 
the  people  who  were  helping  them¬ 
selves.  The  wealthiest  man  in  the 
town,  an  Italian,  and  one  who  was 
educated  for  the  priesthood,  came 
over  to  our  side  with  money  and 
sympathy. 


.■\  TYPE  OF  lNni.\N  GIRLS 
IN  O.VXACA 


42 


The  priest,  who  was  an  adulterous  drunkard,  arose  in  fear  and 
wrath  and  tried  to  stop  our  work,  but  all  in  vain.  He  was  chal¬ 
lenged  to  public  debate  by  our  young  pastor.  The  debate  was 
held  in  the  theater,  and  the  priest  was  badly  worsted.  The 
interest  increased.  Land  was  secured,  and  a  building  of  bamboo 
with  grass  roof  erected  as  a  church.  A  school  was  opened.  To¬ 
day  we  have  there  the  chief  place  in  the  religious  and  educational 
life  of  that  people.  Our  congregation  is  large  and  increasing. 
The  day  school  has  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  pupils,  with  two 
teachers.  The  brother  of  the  pastor  is  now  in  our  Puebla 
school,  preparing  himself  more  thoroughly  for  the  work  in  and 
about  Tuxtepec.  He  longs  to  return  to  that  field  of  labor  where 
he  was  assistant  pastor  for  two  years.  Does  it  not  warm  your 
heart  to  read  of  such  people  as  these?  These  descendants  of  the 
ancient  pagan  tribes,  who  have  been  reared  in  the  gloom  of 
.Mexican  Koman  Catholic  paganism,  are  coming  to  Christ,  to  the 
light  and  joy  of  the  Gospel.  Is  it  not  a  privilege  to  be  per¬ 
mitted  to  help  people  who  are  doing  all  they  can  to  help 
Zachila,  themselves? 

Oaxaca  This  is  a  town  of  Zapotec  Indians  where  our  work  has 
been  established  several  years.  This  was  the  residence  of 
the  last  native  king  of  the  Zapotec  tribe.  Six  brothers,  the 
last  lineal  descendants  of  that  king,  were  members  of  our 
church.  The  youngest  was  over  sixty,  the  eldest  almost 

ninety.  But  one  remains,  and  he  is  eighty  years  of  age. 

How  it  thrilled  our  hearts  to  hear  them  in  class  meeting  tell  of 
their  love  for  Christ  and  of  their  gladness  because  of  the  coming 
of  the  missionaries  to  them !  In  this  town  a  wealthy  Indian 
who  had  abjured  llomanism  became  very  sick.  The  priest 
forced  his  way  to  the  man’s  bedside  and  threatened  him  in  the 
name  of  the  Church  if  he  should  not  leave  a  good  sum  of  money 
to  the  Church.  But  the  man  refused  to  be  intimidated  by  the 
priest’s  menaces.  After  he  was  dead  the  priest  came  into 
Priestly  the  7nidst  of  the  mourning  family,  turned  down  the  shroud 

Revenge  from  the  still  form,  and  scourged  teie  de.\d  body,  in  re¬ 

venge  FOR  HIS  Dis,4i>i>oiNTED  CUPIDITY!  The  authorities 
heard  of  the  infamous  and  barbarous  deed,  and  the  priest  was 
jailed  and  fined  a  good  round  sum. 

43 


OUR  GREATEST  AGENCIES  AND  OUR  GREATEST 

NEEDS 

Wliile  the  preaching  of  the  Word  must  ever  remain  the 
great  agency  for  bringing  the  Gospel  directly  home  to 
Sowing  the  people,  yet  we  Ijelieve  that  a  most  important  place 

the  Word  must  be  assigned  to  our  printing  press,  our  schools  and 

colleges,  and  our  medical  work. 

All  these  years  have  been  a  time  of  preparation,  of  plowing 
and  sowing,  of  demonstrating  to  the  people  our  right  to  be  here. 

But  from  now  on  we  look  for  the  beginning  of  the 
Beginning  of  harvest,  for  we  have  been  here  ju.st  one  generation, 
the  Harvest  long  enough  to  educate  young  men  and  women  who 
are  born  in  Protestant  homes.  To-day  our  pupils  are 
in  the  majority  from  Methodist  homes.  They  are  to  be  our 
Methodi.st  teachers,  preachers,  wives,  hu.slnands,  and  business 
men.  They  are  to  be  the  leaven  that  shall  leaven  Me.xico 
far  and  near. 

A  U  nj  ow'  larger  schools  are  full  and  crowded.  We  need  money. 
Ah!  we  so  much  need  money  for  our  schools  in  Puebla,  Mexico 
City,  Pachuca,  Miraflores,  Guanajuato,  and  Queretaro.  The 
Crowded  best  claiss  of  people  are  now  sending  us  their  Ijoys  and 

Schools  girls,  jjeople  who  are  not  all  Protestants,  but  who  are  not 

Catholics.  They  are  the  liberals,  who  have  come  to  see 
that  our  methods  of  instruction  are  the  best  in  all  ways  for  their 
children. 

As  for  our  press,  we  are  printing  on  an  average  over  five 
million  pages  of  evangelical  literature  each  year.  We  are  doing 
much,  have  done  great  things,  and  could  do  so  much  more  if  we 
had  the  money. 

We  need  $50,000  (gold)  for  each  of  our  schools  in  Puebla  and 
Queretaro  to  make  out  of  them  what  God  is  calling  us  to  make 
them,  and  we  need  at  the  very  least  $25,000  (gold)  for  our  press  in 
Mexico.  There  are  so  many  good  books  that  we  should  translate 
into  Spanish  and  print.  For  are  you  aware  of  the  fact  that  the 
literature  of  the  Gospel,  with  all  of  its  thousand  branches,  has 
never  been  put  into  Spanish  ?  The  Spanish  language  is  the 
richest,  mo.st  flexible,  and  most  expressive  of  European  languages. 

44 


But  Spanish  literature  is  the  poorest  there  is  to-day  in  Christian, 
evangelical,  twentieth-century  writings  on  most  lines.  S23ain  and 
the  Spanish  tongue  were  petrified  in  the  seventeenth 
A  Petrified  centur3^  The  thought  of  the  Spanish-speaking  races  is 
Literature  in  a  fossil  state.  And  it  is  our  great  and  God-given  duty 

to  put  into  Sj^anish  tlie  very  Ijest  and  choicest  books 
that  we  find  among  our  literaiy  Christian  lieritage  of  the  cen- 


•  OKADUATING  CLASS  OF  1005,  NCKSES’  TKAININO 
SCHOOL,  OUANA.TUATO  SANITAKIITM 

turies.  We  have  an  able  local  committee.  Is  there  not  some 
one  who  is  willing  to  give  us  $500  with  which  to  jirint  a  gener¬ 
ous  edition  in  Spanish  of  some  standard  work  of  the  Church 
that  would  be  a  blessing  to  all  Spanish-speaking  America? 
(),  the  influence  of  our  Methodist  printing  press  in  Me.xico,  scat¬ 
tering  its  millions  of  leaves  of  healing  broadcast  each  year  ! 

4.5 


Our  Christian  Advocates,  our  Berean  Leaves,  our  tracts,  and 
Hymn  Books — how  they  go  forth  to  bless  and  brighten  the  sad 
hearts  about  us!  Can  you  help  us,  much  or  little,  or 
“  He  Who  any  at  all?  If  you  can,  then  do  it  quickly;  for  we 

Gives  Quickly  need  it  now.  Just  now  we  are  on  the  eve  of  a  great 

Gives  Twice”  revival  in  Mexico,  and  every  cent,  dime,  and  dollar 
that  you  can  contribute  will  help  that  much  toward 
making  this  Aztec,  pagan,  Roman  Catholic  land  one  of  the  many 
kingdoms  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

As  for  our  medical  work,  it  is  not  possible  to  overestimate  its 
importance.  It  has  opened  up  a  way  of  usefulness  that  w'ould 
otherwise  have  remained  closed  to  us  forever.  The 
Medical  Work  statistics  furnished  by  Dr.  Salmans,  of  Guanajuato, will 
show  what  this  part  of  our  work  means  and  needs. 

Mexico  is  our  nearest  foreign  missionary  field.  More  and  more 
the  bonds  of  trade  and  travel  knit  these  two  great  republics 
together.  Both  are  republics  ;  both  have  passed  through 
Sister  strife  and  sorrow;  both  are  rich  in  history  of  brave  and 

Republics  true  men.  We  of  the  land  of  Franklin  and  Washington 
owe  it  to  the  land  of  Hidalgo  and  Juarez,  because  of  all 
that  happened  between  the  years  1830-1848,  to  give  to  the 
people  of  Mexico  the  best  we  have  in  the  way  of  truth,  life, 
and  light. 

The  Mexican  people  so  love  the  name  and  fame  of  Washington 
that  they  will  not  allotv  any  saloon  to  put  that  honored 
Washington  name  over  its  doors!  Does  that  not  put  to  shame 

Revered  many  cities  in  the  United  States,  where  a  “  Washing¬ 

ton  Saloon  ”  is  a  common  thing  ? 

Our  work  during  the  past  thirty  years  has  been  one  of  break¬ 
ing  ground,  sowing  seed,  and  getting  started.  If  it  required 
four  centuries  and  more,  or  say  twelve  to  fourteen  generations, 
to  produce  the  present  conditions  of  things  morally,  intellect¬ 
ually,  and  spiritually  in  Mexico,  we  cannot  hope  to  undo  all  that 
sad  and  dreadful  condition  in  a  few  years.  It  will  take  many 
years.  Our  work  is  indeed  like  the  leaven,  that  works  although 
hidden  away  in  the  midst  of  the  great  mass.  It  is  harder  to  bring 
these  semi-pagan  Christians  to  Christ  than  it  would  be  if  they 
were  just  pagans,  pure  and  simple. 

4C 


METHODIST  GIKDS’  SCHOOL,  PACHCCA 


Yet  slowly  and  surely  our  influence  is  l^eginning  to  tell 
The  influence  of  the  Protestant  printing  press  is  incalculable. 

Tens  and  even  hundreds  of  millions  of  pages  have 
The  Printing  l)een  printed  that  have  gone  out  as  leaves  of  healing 

Press  through  many  parts  of  Mexico.  The  Sun  of  Right¬ 

eousness  has  risen  over  Mexico  with  healing  in  his 
wings.  Through  the  Tract  Society,  the  Sunday  School  Union, 
and  the  American  Bible  Society  hundreds  of  thousands  of  Bil)les 
and  tracts  in  Spanish  have  been  put  into  the  homes  of  the 
people.  Through  the  faithful  preaching  of  a  great  company  of 
preachers,  teachers,  and  missionaries  tens  of  thousands  have 
heard  the  message  of  Jesus’s  love. 

Our  day  schools  and  colleges  have  educated  scores  and  hun¬ 
dreds  of  boys  and  girls  and  sent  them  forth  to  be  the  Gospel 
salt  of  many  circles  in  Mexico.  (Jur  Christian  homes  and 
Education  our  Christian  lives  have  been  ever-potent  and  ever¬ 
present  factors  in  the  education  and  uplifting  of  those 
al)Out  us.  First  the  period  of  bigoted  hatred  and  fanatical 
persecution,  until  the  soil  of  Mexico  was  wet  with  the  blood  of 
Protestant  martyrs.  Then  the  period  of  the  cessation  of  violent 
persecution,  to  be  followed  by  the  longer  period  of  impotent 
hate,  silent,  fierce,  and  malevolent.  Afterward  the  time  when 
Ave  were  looked  upon  with  less  of  deadly  hostility  by  the  com¬ 
mon  people,  as  they  began  to  feel  some  of  the  good  results  of 
our  being  among  them. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  our  medical  Avork  and  our  medical 
missionaries  have  had  much  to  do  with  bringing  about  that 
change  of  sentiment  toAvard  us  in  many  places.  The 
Medical  Work  common  people  found  that  Protestantism  had  come 
to  heal  and  help  them  physically,  intellectually,  and 
spiritually.  And  so  the  active  opposition  has  died  aAvay  A^ery 
largely.  There  are  no  more  such  bloody  and  murderous  out¬ 
breaks  as  Ave  once  kneAV.  We  are  noAV  tolerated  and  eA’en  re¬ 
spected.  We  are  gaining  ground  in  the  cities  and  more  especially 
in  the  farming  districts  and  in  the  villages.  Our  congregations 
are  increasing  in  numbers  and  size.  Our  schools  cannot  ac¬ 
commodate  the  boys  and  girls  from  good  families  Avho  are  ask¬ 
ing  for  adtnission.  Our  printing  presses  are  taxed  beyond  their 

48 


ulnio.st  capacity.  New  openings  for  teachers  and  ])reachers  are 
beheld  on  every  hand.  In  our  own  Methodist  Church  we  could 
employ  two  dozen  new  teachers  and  preachers  this  year  in  new 
work  if  we  had  the  means  with  which  to  open  up  the  new  work 
that  confronts  us.  And  this  is  largely  the  case  with  all  the  mis¬ 
sionary  bodies  at  work  here.  The  harvest  has  been  coming 
slowly,  but  now  it  is  beginning  to  ripen  fast.  Alas,  for  the 
lack  of  reapers!  Who  will  help — who  will  help  in  this  latest 
and  best  conquest  of  Mexico  for  Christ? 

Our  two  great  schools  in  Puebla  and  Queretaro  are  in  great 
need  of  money  with  which  to  enlarge  our  quarters.  Our  press 


THE  FACULTY  OF  THE  METHODIST  MEXICAN  INSTITUTE,  FUEHLA 


in  Mexico  City  should  liave  .1f2.5,n00  (gold)  to  make  it  what 
it  ought  to  be  in  view  of  the  grand  prospects  that  arc  be¬ 
fore  us. 

()  friends  who  read  these  words,  if  you  could  but  see  as  we 
see  and  feel  as  we  feel  the  nakedness,  ignorance,  poverty,  and 
sin  of  these  people,  you  vould  surely  help  us  e\’en  more  than 
you  have.  If  you  could  but  see  how  all  our  workers,  both  Mexi¬ 
cans  and  Americans,  give  so  generously  and  freely  toAvard  this 
work,  it  could  not  fail  to  impress  you.  I  know  that  figures 
are  but  dry  reading,  and  yet  I  submit  for  your  information 
Avith  regard  to  the  Avork  of  the  Methodist  Ifpiscopal  Church  in 
Mexico  to-day  the  folloAA'ing: 


41) 


STATISTICS 


Number  of  Congregutions .  143 

Number  of  Probationers .  3,008 

Number  of  Members .  2,920 

Number  of  Day  School  Pupils .  4,000 

Number  of  Sunday  School  Scholars .  3,000 

Number  of  Adherents,  including  Members 

and  Probationers  (about) .  12,000 


Our  properties  have  reached  a  valuation  of  $776,050  (Mex¬ 
ican  silver).  If  we  were  to  give  them  all  the  present  market 
value  we  should  be  able  to  say  nearly  $1,000,000.  Our  proper¬ 
ties  in  Mexico  City  alone,  including  the  Woman’s  Foreign  Mis¬ 
sionary  Society  property,  are  worth  nearly  half  a  million  dollars. 
In  Puebla,  Pachuca,  Guanajuato,  Queretaro,  Orizaba,  and 
Oaxaca  we  have  splendid  and  strategically  located  properties. 

Our  mission  raised  for  self-support  in  1903,  including  the  med¬ 
ical  work,  $62,137  (Mexican  silver). 

“The  medical  work  in  Guanajuato  began  thirteen  3"ears  ago 
in  the  hands  of  a  presiding  elder  who  spent  spare  hours  at  it. 

It  has  since  that  time  occupied  the  hands  ami 
Statistics  of  hearts  of  eight  other  doctors,  six  of  whom  are 
Medical  Work  still  ‘  at  it.’  It  has  spread  into  several  cities.  In 
the  capital  chy'  itself  the  work  now  consists  of  a 
sanitarium  and  hospital  and  a  school  for  nurses,  the  first  in 
modern  form  in  this  country,  and  in  which  are  working 
to-day  the  three  doctors  (Levi  B.  Salmans,  Pablo  del  Kio, 
and  Charles  W.  Foster),  the  superintendent  of  nurses  (Miss 
Pauline  M.  Pvhodes),  and  ten  Mexican  nurses,  nine  of  them 
in  training  and  oiie  who  has  already  graduated.  A  large  dis¬ 
pensary  work  is  also  being  carried  on  by  the  hospital  force. 
The  institution  has  been  incorporated  by  the  federal  govern¬ 
ment  Avith  the  right  of  mortmain,  a  right  denied  to  eA^eiybody 
in  this  country  for  more  than  forty  A'cars.  In  order  to  put 
the  institution  on  a  fully  self-supporting  basis  and  render  it 
as  permanent  as  possible,  the  Good  Samaritan  Association, 
since  its  incorporation,  has  undertaken  the  building  of  an  ex- 

50 


DK.  M.  G.  CAKTWBIGUT  AT  WOIIK  IN  HER  DISPENSARY  FOR  THE  POOR  SICK,  LEON 


tensive  new  wing,  with  donations  raised  on  the  ground,  and 
the  installation  of  a  full  outfit  of  such  machinery  and  apparatus 
as  are  usual  in  the  best  sanitariums  for  the  use  of  hydrotherapy, 
phototheraiDy,  therniotherapy,  electrotherapy,  vibrotherapy, 
and  massage.  Over  $4,000  has  already  been  invested  in  this 
wa}^,  and  the  construction  of  the  new  wing  is  being  urged, 
as  not  all  this  apparatus  can  be  installed  in  the  former  parts 
of  the  edifice.  Some  idea  of  the  work  done  is  shown  by  the 
following  statement  for  the  year  1903:  Visits  to  homes, 
1,GS4;  office  consultations,  4,555;  surgical  and  medical  treat¬ 
ments  given,  9,374;  operations,  241;  different  medicines  or 
prescriptions  furnished  patients,  13,834;  different  patients 


MEMHEKS  OF  TUE  MEXICO  ANNV.^E  CONFERENCE  OF  1904 


served,  1,982.  The  other  three  doctors  are  at  present  working 
in  Silao  and  Leon.”  (Data  furnished  by  L.  11.  Salmans,  M.D.) 

We  have  44  Epworth  Leagues  with  almo.st  2,000  members, 
the  exact  figures  being  1,993.  There  are  to-day  13  or  14  Prot¬ 
estant  societies  w’orking  in  Mexico,  with  about  700  congrega¬ 
tions,  22,700  members,  and  about  75,000  adherents,  including 
members.  There  are  210  young  people’s  societies,  with  0,943 
members;  there  are  10,991  pupils  in  their  day  schools  and 
13,502  in  their  Sunday  schools.  Mexico  is  beginning  to  stretch 
forth  her  hands  towaird  God.  We  have  a  grand  and  God- 
directed  Diaz  at  the  helm  of  the  nation,  and  he  is  our  friend. 
Our  schools,  our  churches,  and  our  people  are  full  of  promise 


and  liope  for  the  future.  We  do  all  we  can,  although  at  times 
our  hearts  are  near  breaking.  We  look  upward  to  the  signs 
of  promise  above  our  tear  and  toil-wet  furrow.  Can  you  not 
help  us  a  little  more  to  win  this  people  for  Jesus,  until  the  radi¬ 
ance  from  the  open  Bible  shall  be  reflected  from  all  tlie  blue 
lakes  and  silver  peaks  of  Mexico? 


SOME  GOOD  WORKS  ON  MEXICO 

Butler  (Willi.\m),  Mexico  in  Transition.  Eaton  &  Mains. 
Brown  (H.  W.),  Latin  America.  Fleming  H.  llevell  Com¬ 
pany. 

Gooch  (F.  C.f,  Face  to  Face  with  the  Mexicans.  Ford, 
Howard  &  Hurlbut. 

Lummis  (C.  F.),  The  Awakening  of  a  Nation.  Harpers. 
Prescott’s  Conquest  of  Mexico. 

Calderon  de  la  Barca.  Life  in  Mexico.  (A  great  work.) 
Oder  (F.  A.)  Travels  in  Mexico.  Estes  &  Lauriat. 


53 


> 


